A number of conventional systems exist that use audio signals to transmit information. Conventional systems for transmitting audio signals include interactive voice response (“IVR”) systems and systems that signal the beginning or end of content segments. Conventional IVR systems transmit a customer's menu selection to a computerized receptionist. For example, the IVR system provides the customer with an electronic menu to select a desired option. The customer presses a touchtone button to send a touchtone audio signal from the customer's telephone to the IVR system. The IVR system recognizes the touchtone as a specific menu selection. However, conventional IVR systems involve transmitting an audio signal between a person (the customer) and a computer (the IVR system). Accordingly, conventional IVR systems cannot transmit an audio signal between computers. Additionally, in a conventional IVR system, the customer transmits either voice or a touchtone. The customer cannot simultaneously transmit coherent voice and touchtones, because the touchtones mask or drown out the voice. Furthermore, the conventional touchtones have a pre-assigned meaning. The conventional IVR systems cannot communicate complex data. Those systems can only transmit the preset tones.
Conventional systems that use audio signals for the beginning or end of content segments typically comprise radio or television broadcasting systems or filmstrip systems. In a conventional radio or television broadcasting system, a broadcast entertainment content segment can include an audio signal that indicates the end of the entertainment content segment. A computer listens for the audio signal and broadcasts an advertising content segment when it recognizes the “end” audio signal of the entertainment content segment.
In a conventional filmstrip system, a filmstrip viewer device recognizes an audible beep on a cassette tape, which signals the end of the current slide and the correct time to advance the filmstrip. The filmstrip viewer device advances the filmstrip when it recognizes the audible beep.
The conventional systems for signaling the beginning or end of content segments include several deficiencies. For example, those conventional systems are closed systems. Those conventional systems do not communicate an audio signal to one or multiple other computer systems to cause those other systems to perform an action. Additionally, the conventional tones or beeps have a pre-assigned meaning. Accordingly, the conventional closed systems cannot communicate complex data. Those systems can only transmit the preset tones or beeps.
Another conventional system for transmitting voice and data is an ASVD (analog simultaneous voice and data) modem system. FIG. 13 is a block diagram depicting a conventional ASVD method for transmitting voice and data. As shown in FIG. 13, the system 1300 can transmit voice and data between locations 1302, 1304. At location 1302, a meeting participant communicates voice 1306 to a source telephone 1308. The source telephone 1308 transmits an audio stream 1310 of the voice 1306 to a source ASVD modem 1312.
Simultaneously, a source computer 1314 generates a data stream 1316 and communicates the data stream 1316 to the source ASVD modem 1312. The source ASVD modem 1312 combines the data stream 1316 and the audio stream 1310, encodes the combined data in digital form, and communicates the encoded data through the communications medium 1318 to a recipient ASVD modem 1320 at location 1304.
The recipient ASVD modem 1320 decodes the digital data and splits the data stream 1316 from the audio stream 1310. The recipient ASVD modem 1320 transmits the audio 1310 to a recipient telephone 1324. The recipient telephone 1324 communicates the audio 1310 as the voice 1306 via its speaker. The recipient ASVD modem 1320 also communicates the data stream 1316 to the recipient computer 1330. The recipient computer 1330 interprets the data stream 1316 to evaluate the data.
However, the system 1300 requires that each participant at a separate location have the required ASVD modem hardware to interpret the encoded, digital data from the source location. The encoded, digital data communicated via the communications medium 1318 cannot be interpreted without a recipient ASVD modem 1320 to decode the received data. Accordingly, a participant communicating with other locations through only a telephone or the air as a communications medium cannot decode the encoded, digital data provided by the source ASVD modem. Additionally, the participant cannot hear the voice 1306 without the ASVD modem to decode the audio stream 1310.
Another method for transmitting voice and data comprises multiplexing. In multiplexing, a multiplexer combines a voice signal and a data signal into one signal and communicates the combined signal to a demultiplexer. The demultiplexer separates the voice signal and the data signal. However, the combined signal produced by the multiplexer does not comprise coherent sound and a demultiplexer is required to decipher the multiplexed signals. A person receiving the combined signal cannot understand the voice signal without first having a demultiplexer separate the voice and data signals.
Accordingly, there is need in the art for communicating audio data signals from a first computer system to a second computer system via an audio communications medium. A further need exists in the art for simultaneously communicating voice and audio data signals via a voice communication medium. Additionally, a need exists in the art for embedding data in the audio data signal for instructing the recipient computer to perform an action based on the data.